From Chenab To Jhelum, Rivers Run Low – Why Pakistan Is Panicking Over India’s Water

Pakistan has accused India of creating drought-like conditions by stopping water flows. It said satellite imagery from December 8 showed a large decline in the surface area of the Baglihar reservoir, which increased further by December 13.

India-Pakistan Water Dispute: Islamabad is worried about declining water supplies from rivers flowing in from India, with authorities warning that the situation is turning critical. Days after flagging a sudden dip in the Chenab’s flow, the officials now say that the Jhelum River has also witnessed an unusual decline.

Unable to handle intensified pressure, the Shahbaz Sharif government has held New Delhi responsible for the reduced flow and claimed that water is being held back upstream in Indian territory.

Earlier this week, Pakistan formally wrote to India over a sudden fall in the Chenab River’s flow. On December 19, Islamabad said India had been asked to explain what was described as an unusual and alarming decline in river discharge.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources said it had sought clarification from India regarding sudden changes in the Chenab’s flow, which have adversely affected irrigation for wheat and other crops across several parts of Punjab province.

In a statement, the ministry said that after a prolonged period of instability, the Chenab’s flow had eventually returned to a stable level.

‘Water Being Held At Dams’

Pakistan has accused India of deliberately holding back water at the Baglihar dam. The ministry stated that satellite imagery dated December 8 revealed a noticeable dip in the surface area of the Baglihar reservoir, a decline that became more pronounced by December 13.

According to the ministry, the pattern of reduction followed by an increase in the reservoir’s surface area suggested that the reservoir had been emptied and later refilled.

Reduced Flow In Jhelum

Officials have also flagged problems in the Jhelum River, saying its flow has been disrupted due to sudden stoppages and releases of water by India.

The office of Pakistan’s Indus Waters Commissioner, Syed Mehar Ali Shah, said water levels in the stretch from India’s upper reaches down to Pakistan’s Mangla Dam are declining. This decline has affected irrigation across nearly 15 million acres of agricultural land, where water supply has either dropped or stopped altogether.

A Pakistani television channel quoted Shah as saying that the flow of the Jhelum was being closely monitored. He said that, for now, Pakistan had formally written to India regarding the Chenab and that further steps would be considered once a response was received.

He stressed that Pakistan would continue to raise objections whenever water flows were restricted.